Kevin Phillips admits he will be sad to leave Sunderland this summer but he is excited at the prospect of a fresh start with a new club next season - wherever he ends up.

Kevin Phillips admits he will be sad to leave Sunderland this summer but he is excited at the prospect of a fresh start with a new club next season - wherever he ends up.

Sunderland's post-war record goalscorer yesterday confirmed that he will be leaving during the close season but he refused to speculate about where he might go.

Phillips is keen to stay in the Premiership and there have been a series of clubs linked with him over the past 12 months, including Tottenham, Middlesbrough, Blackburn, Bolton and Leeds.

Newcastle were also linked with him at one point but are already well off for strikers and, besides, Phillips today moved to reassure the Sunderland fans, who would find seeing their hero defect to their fiercest rivals too much to stomach.

He said: "I am sad at leaving but I am also excited about the future.

"I have been linked with a lot of clubs over the course of the season and I do want to stay in the Premiership but I don't think it's right for me to start talking about which clubs might be interested in me.

"We'll just see what happens but I hope that things can be sorted out early on so that I can go away on holiday knowing what the future holds.

"I hope that the fans will think well of me when I leave.

"I have done all I can for the club and I just hope they respect my decision - most of the supporters I have spoken to say they wish me all the best wherever I end up.

"I think that, as long as I don't move up the road [to Newcastle] - and I don't really think that's an option - they will think highly of me."

Phillips hopes that a move might also see him make a return to the international scene, where he has not figured since earning his eighth cap against Holland in February last year.

He said: "That's not the main reason for leaving - the main reason is that I need to get back into a side where I can score goals regularly.

"But if I go to another club, start scoring again then maybe I will get the chance to play for England again."

Phillips also revealed that he has had two transfer requests turned down this season and he would have left even if Sunderland had survived in the Premiership.

He said: "I asked to leave at the start of the season but that request was turned down and I asked to leave again in January and that was turned down as well.

"I suppose I have got my wish now but I suppose it has come under the wrong circumstances.

"I have had some great times at the club and I will always remember them - but obviously I will want to forget the relegation.

"I will be sad to leave but I made the decision a while ago.

"I needed to go and I need a fresh challenge, but of course it is still sad when the time actually comes for you to leave.

"Sunday was quite a sad occasion because I was saying goodbye to the supporters after the Arsenal game."